Methods, systems, and products for recording media

ABSTRACT

Methods, devices, and products are disclosed for recording media. An input is received via a user interface to record media. An entry is created in a recording schedule to record the media. The recording schedule is sent to a restoration server, such that the recording schedule is mirrored to the restoration server.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/703,359, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/413,886, filed Apr. 28, 2006, and both areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This application also relates to the following co-pending andcommonly-assigned applications, with each application incorporatedherein by reference: U.S. application Ser. No. 11/300,125, filed Dec.14, 2005 and entitled “Presence Detection in a Bandwidth ManagementSystem”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/300,061, filed Dec. 14, 2005 andentitled “Methods, Systems, and Devices for Bandwidth Conservation”;U.S. application Ser. No. 11/178,075, filed Jul. 8, 2005 and entitled“Methods, Systems, and Devices for Securing Content”; U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/304,264, filed Dec. 14, 2005 and entitled “Methods, Systems,and Computer Program Products For Providing Traffic Control Services”;U.S. application Ser. No. 11/703,573, concurrently filed and entitled“Methods, Systems, and Products for Conserving Bandwidth”; U.S.application Ser. No. 11/703,352, concurrently filed and entitled“Methods and Systems for Image Processing”; U.S. application Ser. No.11/703,574, concurrently filed and entitled “Methods, Systems, andProducts for Recording Media”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/703,325,concurrently filed and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Products forTargeting Media”; and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/703,565, concurrentlyfiled and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Products for Restoring Media”.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figurescontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND

This application generally relates to interactive multimediadistribution systems and, more particularly, to recording or to copyingof media.

Hard drives, and other memory devices, sometimes fail. The fear offailure haunts anyone who stores business data, precious home movies,pictures, and any other media content. As digital video recorders growin popularity, for example, more and more users have a significant timeand financial investment in a library of media stored to their recorder.Should the digital recorder experience a memory or other hardwarefailure, and some or all of that library is lost, the user may lose dataand memories of great financial and sentimental value. What is needed,then, are methods, systems, and products that provide a restorationservice for recorded media.

SUMMARY

The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are reduced, accordingto exemplary embodiments, by methods, systems, and products that helprecord and restore media. These exemplary embodiments describe how auser may obtain a restoration service from a service provider. Exemplaryembodiments maintain at least a partial image of recorded content on auser's device. The user, for example, may store a recorded collection ofmedia on his or her digital recorder, computer, wireless phone, or anyother communications device. The term “media” includes movies, pictures,images, music, text, programs, and data. Whenever a user schedules mediafor recording, exemplary embodiments communicate that recording scheduleto a restoration server. The restoration server may then record aduplicate copy of the media. If the restoration server already storesthe media, however, then the restoration server may decline to record aduplicate copy of the media. If ever the user's recorder, computer, orother device should fail, the restoration server may then use theduplicate copy to restore that device to some state prior to thefailure. The restoration server thus mirrors the content on the user'sdevice.

Exemplary embodiments describe a method for recording media. An input isreceived via a user interface to record media. An entry is created in arecording schedule to record the media. The recording schedule is sentto a restoration server, such that the recording schedule is mirrored tothe restoration server.

In another exemplary embodiment, another method is disclosed forrecording media. A user's recording schedule is received, and therecording schedule indicates what media is scheduled for recording bythe user's recording device. The recording schedule is mirrored in arestoration server such that the media is also scheduled for recordingby the restoration server. A recording notification message is receivedthat indicates the media is being recorded by the user's recordingdevice. In response to the recording notification message, therestoration server simultaneously records the media, wherein therestoration server mirrors the media recorded by the user's recordingdevice.

More exemplary embodiments describe a device for recording media. Thedevice comprises a processor communicating with a user interface. Theprocessor receives an input via the user interface to record media. Theprocessor creates an entry in a recording schedule to record the media,and the processor sends the recording schedule to a restoration server.The processor thus mirrors the recording schedule to the restorationserver.

Still more exemplary embodiments describe another device for recordingmedia. A processor communicates with a network interface and withmemory. The processor receives a user's recording schedule via thenetwork interface, and the recording schedule indicates what media isscheduled for recording by the user's recording device. The processormirrors the recording schedule to the memory such that the media is alsoscheduled for recording. The processor receives a recording notificationmessage via the network interface that indicates the media is beingrecorded by the user's recording device. In response to the recordingnotification message the processor receives the media via the networkinterface and records the media to the memory. The device thus mirrorsthe media recorded to the user's recording device.

Exemplary embodiments also include a computer program product forrecording media. The computer program product stores computer code forreceiving an input via a user interface to record media. An entry iscreated in a recording schedule to record the media. The recordingschedule is sent to a restoration server, such that the recordingschedule is mirrored to the restoration server.

Other exemplary embodiments include more computer program products. Herea user's recording schedule is received that indicates what media isscheduled for recording by the user's recording device. The recordingschedule is mirror in a restoration server such that the media is alsoscheduled for recording by the restoration server. A recordingnotification message is received that indicates the media is beingrecorded by the user's recording device. In response to the recordingnotification message, the restoration server records the media, suchthat the restoration server mirrors the media recorded to the user'srecording device.

Other systems, methods, and/or devices according to the exemplaryembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or devices beincluded within this description, be within the scope of the exemplaryembodiments, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplaryembodiments are better understood when the following DetailedDescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an operating environment, accordingto exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic further illustrating the operating environment,according to more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating notification of recorded media,according to even more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a schematic further illustrating the operating environmentwhich includes a catalog of recorded items, according to still moreexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating the restoration of media, accordingto even more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrating additional restoration procedures,according to even more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating packages of media, according to moreexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of exemplary details of the electrical deviceshown in FIGS. 1-7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating additional communications devices inwhich exemplary embodiments may operate; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts illustrating methods for recording media.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The reader shouldrecognize, however, that the exemplary embodiments may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so thatthis disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey thescope of the exemplary embodiments. Moreover, all statements hereinreciting exemplary embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof,are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the likerepresent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methodsof the exemplary embodiments. The functions of the various elementsshown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicatedhardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software.Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Theirfunction may be carried out through the operation of program logic,through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control anddedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique beingselectable by the entity implementing the exemplary embodiments. Thoseof ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplaryhardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systemsdescribed herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are notintended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an operating environment, accordingto exemplary embodiments. FIG. 1 illustrates a user's electronic device20 communicating with a restoration server 22 via a communicationsnetwork 24. Although the user's electronic device 20 is genericallyshown, as later paragraphs will explain, the electronic device 20 may bea computer, set-top box, digital recorder, or any other communicationsdevice. The user's electronic device 20 stores a recording application26 in memory 28. The recording application 26 includesprocessor-executable code or instructions that cause a processor 30 torecord some media (e.g., movie, music, and/or image). The processor 30also communicates with a user interface 32 for indicating what media isto be recorded. The user interface 32 is illustrated as a remote control34, but the user interface 32 may be a control panel, keypad, keyboard,display, or any other means for receiving spoken or tactile inputs. Theprocessor 30 receives an input via the user interface 32, and the inputinstructs the processor to create an entry 36 in a recording schedule38. The recording schedule 36 is stored in the memory 28 and identifiesthe media selected for recording.

Here restoration server 22 mirrors the recording schedule 36. Wheneverthe user desires to schedule recording of a programming event or media,the processor 30 informs the restoration server 22. As FIG. 1illustrates, the recording application 26 instructs the processor 30 toinvoke a network interface 40 to communicate the recording schedule 36to the restoration server 22. The processor 30 thus sends the recordingschedule 36 via the communications network 24 to the restoration server22. Exemplary embodiments thus mirror the user's recording schedule 36to the restoration server 22.

The reader is assumed to be generally familiar with recording schedules.If, however, the reader desires more information, the reader is invitedto consult the following sources, with each incorporated herein byreference in its entirety: U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,469 to Callahan et al.(Sep. 14, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2002/0144289 toTaguchi et al. (Oct. 3, 2002); Published U.S. Patent Application2003/0005432 to Ellis et al. (Jan. 2, 2003); Published U.S. PatentApplication 2003/0131355 to Berenson et al. (Jul. 10, 2003); PublishedU.S. Patent Application 2003/0208767 to Williamson et al. (Nov. 6,2003); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0008972 to Haken (Jan. 15,2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0013409 to Beach et al.(Jan. 22, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0060063 to Russet al. (Mar. 25, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0078817to Horowitz et al. (Apr. 22, 2004); and Published U.S. PatentApplication 2005/0229212 to Kuether et al. (Oct. 13, 2005).

FIG. 2 is a schematic further illustrating the operating environment,according to more exemplary embodiments. Here the restoration server 22is illustrated as a block diagram, with a restoration processor 42communicating with a network interface 44 and with restoration memory46. A complimentary recording application 47 stores in the restorationmemory 46 of the restoration server 22. The complimentary recordingapplication 47 includes processor-executable code or instructions thatcause the restoration processor 42 to mirror the recording schedule 38to the restoration memory 46. As FIG. 2 illustrates, the restorationprocessor 42 receives the user's recording schedule 38 via the networkinterface 44 to the communications network 24. The recording schedule 38indicates what media is scheduled for recording by the user's electronicdevice 20. Because the restoration processor 42 mirrors the recordingschedule 38 to the restoration memory 46, the user's selected media isalso scheduled for recording by the restoration server 22.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating notification of recorded media,according to even more exemplary embodiments. Here the user's electronicdevice 20 notifies the restoration server 22 whenever the desired mediais recorded. The user's electronic device 20 notifies the restorationserver 22 whenever a recording mode of operation is invoked. As FIG. 3illustrates, the user's electronic device 20 receives media 48 via thecommunications network 24. The media 48 is shown originating from amedia server 50, but the media 48 may originate from any networklocation or peer device. When the user's electronic device 20 enters, oris about to enter, a recording mode of operation, the recordingapplication 26 instructs the processor (shown as reference numeral 30 inFIG. 1) to send a recording notification message 52 to the restorationserver 22. The recording notification message 52 notifies therestoration server 22 that the media 48 is being recorded. The recordingnotification message 52 may identify the media 48 being recorded orcopied by title, programming identification, channel, path, link,start/end time, or other identifying information.

The restoration server 22 receives the recording notification message52. The recording notification message 52 again indicates that the media48 is being recorded by the user's electronic device 20. The restorationprocessor 42, in response to receipt of the recording notificationmessage 52, requests and receives the same media 48 via thecommunications network 24. That is, the restoration processor 42 sends arequest 54 to the media server 50 to send, deliver, or stream the media48 to the restoration server 22. The restoration processor 42 receivesthe media 48 via the network interface 44 and simultaneouslystores/records the media 48 to the restoration memory 46. Therestoration server 22 thus mirrors the media 48 recorded by the user'selectronic device 20. Whatever media is recorded by the user'selectronic device 20, that same media is also recorded by therestoration server 22. As later paragraphs will greater explain, if everthe user's electronic device 20 should fail, the restoration server 22may be used to restore the user's collection of recorded media.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a catalog 56 of recorded items,according to still more exemplary embodiments. Here the user maintains alibrary 58 of media. The library 58 of media may be stored in the memory28 of the user's electronic device 20. The library 58 of media, however,may additionally or alternatively be stored at any location within ahome network and/or within the communications network 24. Wherever theuser's library 58 of media is stored, the catalog 56 of recorded itemsis also maintained in the memory 28. The catalog 56 of recorded itemsdescribes some or all of the contents of the user's library 58 of media.The catalog 56 of recorded items, for example, may be a listing oftitles in the user's library 58 of media. The catalog 56 of recordeditems, however, may include any information that uniquely identifieseach individual item in the user's library 58 of media. The catalog 56of recorded items may even include additional information for each itemin the library 58 of media, such as actor(s), actress(es), director,producer, setting, or any other descriptive information that may or maynot uniquely identify each individual item.

As FIG. 4 illustrates, the catalog 56 of items may also be shared withthe restoration server 22. The recording application 26 instructs theprocessor 30 to send the catalog 56 of items to the restoration server22 via the communications network 24. When the restoration server 22receives the catalog 56 of items, the restoration server 22 stores thecatalog 56 of items in the restoration memory 46. The restoration server22 thus maintains a duplicate catalog 60 of items that reside in theuser's library 58 of media. If ever the user's electronic device 20should fail, the restoration server 22 may use the duplicate catalog 60of items to restore the user's collection of recorded media.

FIG. 4 also illustrates a preference 62. The preference 62 indicateswhat items in the user's library 58 of media are tagged for restoration.Some users may maintain a large library 58 of media containing many, ifnot hundreds or thousands, of movies, music, photos/images, books, andother content. Some user's library of media, in fact, may exceed amemory allocation (in bytes). The preference 62, then, indicates whatitems in the user's library 58 of media are tagged for restoration. Ifan item in the user's library 58 of media is tagged by the preference62, then that item may be duplicately stored (or “backed-up”) by therestoration server 22. If an item is not tagged by the preference 62,then the restoration server 22 may, or may not, maintain a duplicatecopy.

The preference 62 is configurable. That is, the user may completelyconfigure the preference 62 in any way to indicate what items are taggedfor restoration. The user, for example, may individually designate anitem for restoration. The user may additionally or alternative tag afamily or category of items. The user may configure the preference 62 toinclude any measure of time, such as tagging every item recorded duringthe past hour, the previous Saturday night, within the previous week,within the previous two weeks, on May 10^(th), during the month ofJanuary, or any other measure of time. The user may configure thepreference 62 to only restore media content residing on a particulardevice, such as a digital video recorder or computer hard drive. Therecording application 26 may include intelligence to autonomously tagmedia content for restoration. The recording application 26, forexample, may tag the user's popular media that is frequently accessed orplayed. Because the media is frequently played, the recordingapplication 26 may determine that the preference 62 should identify thepopular media.

The preference 62 may also be used to condense the catalog 56 of items.Recall that the preference 62 indicates what items in the user's library58 of media are tagged for restoration. If not all items in the library58 are tagged for restoration, then the user may configure the recordingapplication 26 to condense the catalog 56 of items. If only some itemsare tagged for restoration, then the recording application 26 may deleteitems from the catalog that are not tagged. The recording application 26may then instruct the processor 30 to send a condensed version of thecatalog 56 of items to the restoration server 22. The condensed versionof the catalog 56 of items may only include those items tagged forrestoration.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating the restoration of media, accordingto even more exemplary embodiments. Here the restoration server 22receives a request 64 for restoration. The request 64 for restorationusually means the user has experienced some failure of the electronicdevice 20. The request 64 for restoration may originate from theelectronic device 20 itself or from some other device associated withthe user. The request 64 may also originate from a service provider 66.Regardless from where the request 64 for restoration originates, therequest 64 includes some identification 68 of the user and/or the user'scatalog of items (the user's catalog of items is shown as referencenumeral 56 in FIG. 4). The request 64 for restoration may also include arestoration address 70 that identifies to what communications address(e.g., I.P. address, email, or any other address) the restored media issent. The complimentary recording application 47 instructs therestoration processor 42 to access the user's duplicate catalog 60 ofitems and to retrieve each item tagged for restoration. The restorationserver 22 then sends each retrieved media item 70 to the restorationaddress 68. The restoration server 22 may even send each media item 70during off-peak hours to repopulate the user's library of media (shownas reference numeral 58 in FIG. 4). The restoration server 22 may evenutilize multicast streaming to simultaneously restore multiple devices.The restoration server 22 may alternatively utilize unicast streaming toindividually restore each device. The complimentary recordingapplication 47 may include logic to decide whether unicast or multicaststreaming more efficiently accomplishes the restoration.

The restoration server 22 may also provide a status of the restoration.Because the time required for the restoration may depend on theavailable bitrate (the “last mile,” for example, may be a limitingfactor), the restoration server 22 may send periodic status updates.Each status update informs the user of the progress of the restoration.The status update may even calculate a remaining time until completion,based on the actual or average bitrate and the remaining bytes. Thestatus update may additionally or alternatively provide the names ofmedia titles (or other identifiers) that have been completely restoredand are available for access.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrating additional restoration procedures,according to even more exemplary embodiments. As the previous paragraphsexplained, the user's electronic device 20 may share the catalog 56 ofrecorded items with the restoration server 22. When the restorationserver 22 receives the catalog 56 of items, the restoration server 22stores the catalog 56 of items in the restoration memory 46. Therestoration server 22 thus maintains the duplicate catalog 60 of itemsthat reside in the user's library 58 of media. If ever the user'selectronic device 20 should fail, the restoration server 22 may use theduplicate catalog 60 of items to restore the user's collection ofrecorded media.

The user's catalog 56 of items 56 a (shown in FIG. 4), however, maycontain entries that are not available to the restoration server 22. Theuser's catalog 56 of items 56 b may contain well-known and/orcommercially distributed movies and other programming (e.g., CASABLANCA®or STAR WARS®). The restoration server 22, when needed, may easilyobtain an electronic copy of such media. The user's catalog 56 of items56 a, however, may contain home movies, still images, and other mediathat are not elsewhere obtainable. Here, then, the complementaryrecording application 47 may implement procedures to restore uniqueand/or difficult to obtain media.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example. When the restoration server 22 receivesthe user's catalog 56 of items, the restoration server 22 may comparethe catalog 56 of items to a database 72 of available media. Thedatabase 72 of available media at least stores a listing 74 of all mediaavailable to the restoration server 22. If a media title, for example,is listed in the listing 74, then that media title is available to therestoration server 22. Any media not listed in the database 72 ofavailable media, however, may not be available and duplicately recordedfor restoration. A user's personal home movies, for example, would notordinarily be listed in the database 72 of available media. When thecomplementary recording application 47 encounters media not listed inthe database 72 of available media, the complementary recordingapplication 47 may send a request 76 for media. The request 76 for mediaroutes along the communications network 24 to the user's electronicdevice 20. The request 76 for media seeks to obtain any media stored in,or available from, the user's electronic device 20 that is not found inthe database 72 of available media. The user's electronic device 20 thenobtains or retrieves the requested media 78 and sends the requestedmedia 78 to the restoration server 22. When the restoration server 22receives the requested media 78, the requested media 78 is stored in therestoration memory 46. If ever the user's home movies, pictures, orother unique media requires restoration, the restoration server 22 maytap and retrieve a restoration copy from the restoration memory 46.

The user's unique media 78 may be sent during off-peak hours. Becausethe user's unique media, such as the user's collection of home movies,may be files of many gigabytes, such large files may be scheduled fortransfer during periods of minimal bandwidth usage. Late nights and/orearly mornings, for example, are usually periods in which demand isleast. The user's electronic device 20, additionally, may have anasymmetric broadband connection, in which uploaded data travels slowerthat downloaded data. The recording application 26 and the complementaryrecording application 47 may negotiate a desirable time of day andconnection/session parameters in which to mirror the user's uniquecollection of media.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating packages of media, according to moreexemplary embodiments. Recording schedules may also be used to initiallypopulate recording devices. As the restoration server 22 obtains moreand more customers' recording schedules, those recording schedules maybe analyzed for patterns and/or for popularity. A service provider, forexample, may determine what media content is most requested forrecording by customers. The service provider, then, may offer individualmedia, or packages of media, based upon an analysis of customers'recording schedules.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example. Here the restoration server 22 makes apackage of media available to new users. When the user's electronicdevice 20 initially registers with the restoration server 22, the user'selectronic device 20 sends a registration message 80. The recordingapplication 26 instructs the processor (shown as reference numeral 30 inFIG. 1) to send the registration message 80 to the restoration server22. The registration message 80 communicates via the communicationsnetwork 24 and requests registration for a restoration service. Theregistration message 80 may identify the user and/or the user'selectronic device 20, such as by an account number, customer name, I.P.address, processor serial number, or any other identifying information.The registration message 80 may even include demographic information 82that helps identify media preferences for the registering user. When theuser's electronic device 20, for example, is initially powered orconfigured, the recording application 26 have a configuration routinethat prompts for the demographic information 82. The user may thusvoluntarily enter non-identifying information, such as age bracket,income bracket, male/female user, ZIP code, education level, and anyother anonymous information. The user may even enter preferredcategories of media, such as westerns, actions, do-it-yourselfprogramming, classic films, and any other genre, category, and/ortitles. The user, of course, may also enter specific demographicinformation, such as user name, children's ages, religious and/orprofessional affiliations, and other more revealing demographicidentifiers.

The restoration server 22 receives the registration message 80. Becausethe user's electronic device 20 may be initially registering with therestoration server 22, the complementary recording application 47 maydecide to populate the user's electronic device 20 with media. Thecomplementary recording application 47 may access a database 84 ofrecording schedules. Each user's recording schedule may be stored in thedatabase 84 of recording schedules. The database 84 of recordingschedules may be analyzed to determine media or packages of media thatappeal to a population or base of users. The complementary recordingapplication 47, for example, may identify a package 86 of media that isfrequently recorded by users. The package 86 of media may additionallyor alternatively be tailored to the demographic information 82 includedwith the registration message 80. The complementary recordingapplication 47 retrieves each media in the package 86 of media and sendsthe package 86 to the user's device 20. The package 86 of media thuspopulates the user's electronic device 20 with media.

Exemplary embodiments are applicable to any communications network. Thecommunications network 24, for example, may be a cable network operatingin the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol (IP) domain.The communications network 24, however, may also include a distributedcomputing network, such as the Internet (sometimes alternatively knownas the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-area network (LAN),and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communications network 24 mayinclude coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines, and/orhybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 24 may even includewireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagnetic spectrumand any signaling standard (such as the IEEE 802 family of standards).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of exemplary details of the electrical device20 shown in FIGS. 1-7. The electronic device 20 may be any devicecapable of recording any media. The electrical device 20, for example,may be any device, such as an analog/digital recorder, television,CD/DVD player/recorder, audio equipment, receiver, tuner, and/or anyother consumer electronic device. The electrical device 20 may alsoinclude any computer, peripheral device, camera, modem, storage device,telephone, personal digital assistant, and/or mobile phone. Theelectrical device 20 may also be configured as a set-top box (“STB”)receiver that receives and decodes digital signals. The electricaldevice 20, in fact, can be any electronic/electrical device that has aninput 150 for receiving an input (such as the media 48 shown in FIG. 3).The input 150 may include a coaxial cable interface for receivingsignals via a coaxial cable (not shown). The input 150 may additionallyor alternatively include an interface to a fiber optic line, to atelephone line (such as an RJ-48/56), to other wiring, and to anymale/female coupling. The recording application 26 operates within asystem memory device. The recording application 26, for example, isshown residing in a memory subsystem 152. The recording application 26,however, could also reside in flash memory 154 or peripheral storagedevice 156. The electrical device 20 also has one or more centralprocessors 158 executing an operating system. The operating system, asis well known, has a set of instructions that control the internalfunctions of the electrical device 20. A system bus 160 communicatessignals, such as data signals, control signals, and address signals,between the central processor 158 and a system controller 162. Thesystem controller 162 provides a bridging function between the one ormore central processors 158, a graphics subsystem 164, the memorysubsystem 152, and a PCI (Peripheral Controller Interface) bus 166. ThePCI bus 166 is controlled by a Peripheral Bus Controller 168. ThePeripheral Bus Controller 168 is an integrated circuit that serves as aninput/output hub for various peripheral ports. These peripheral portscould include, for example, a keyboard port 170, a mouse port 172, aserial port 174, and/or a parallel port 176 for a video display unit,one or more external device ports 178, and external hard drive ports 180(such as IDE, ATA, SATA, or SCSI). The Peripheral Bus Controller 168could also include an audio subsystem 182. The electrical device 20 mayalso include a display device (such as LED, LCD, plasma, or any other)to present instructions, messages, tutorials, and other information to auser. The electrical device 20 may further include one or more encoders,one or more decoders, input/output control, logic, one or morereceivers/transmitters/transceivers, one or more clock generators, oneor more Ethernet/LAN interfaces, one or more analog-to-digitalconverters, one or more digital-to-analog converters, one or More“Firewire” interfaces, one or more modem interfaces, and/or one or morePCMCIA interfaces. Those of ordinary skill in the art understand thatthe program, processes, methods, and systems described herein are notlimited to any particular architecture or hardware.

One example of the central processor 158 is a microprocessor. AdvancedMicro Devices, Inc., for example, manufactures a full line of ATHLON™microprocessors (ATHLON™ is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.,One AMD Place, P.O. Box 3453, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94088-3453,408.732.2400, 800.538.8450, www.amd.com). The Intel Corporation alsomanufactures a family of X86 and P86 microprocessors (Intel Corporation,2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, Calif. 95052-8119,408.765.8080, www.intel.com). Other manufacturers also offermicroprocessors. Such other manufacturers include Motorola, Inc. (1303East Algonquin Road, P.O. Box A3309 Schaumburg, Ill. 60196,www.Motorola.com), International Business Machines Corp. (New OrchardRoad, Armonk, N.Y.10504, (914) 499-1900, www.ibm.com), and TransmetaCorp. (3940 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054,www.transmeta.com). Those skilled in the art further understand that theprogram, processes, methods, and systems described herein are notlimited to any particular manufacturer's central processor.

According to an exemplary embodiment, any of the WINDOWS® (WINDOWS® is aregistered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way,Redmond Wash. 98052-6399, 425.882.8080, www.Microsoft.com) operatingsystems may be used. Other operating systems, however, are alsosuitable. Such other operating systems would include the UNIX® operatingsystem (UNIX® is a registered trademark of the Open Source Group,www.opensource.org), the UNIX-based Linux operating system, WINDOWS NT®,and Mac® OS (Mac® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., 1Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. 95014, 408.996.1010, www.apple.com).Those of ordinary skill in the art again understand that the program,processes, methods, and systems described herein are not limited to anyparticular operating system.

The system memory device (shown as memory subsystem 152, flash memory154, or peripheral storage device 156) may also contain an applicationprogram. The application program cooperates with the operating systemand with a video display unit (via the serial port 174 and/or theparallel port 176) to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). TheGraphical User Interface typically includes a combination of signalscommunicated along the keyboard port 170 and the mouse port 172. TheGraphical User Interface provides a convenient visual and/or audibleinterface with a user of the electrical device 20.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating still more exemplary embodiments.FIG. 9 illustrates that the recording application 26 may alternativelyor additionally operate within various other communications devices.FIG. 9, for example, illustrates that the recording application 26 mayentirely or partially operate within a personal digital assistant (PDA)200, a Global Positioning System (GPS) device 202, an interactivetelevision 204, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone 206, a pager 208, aset-top-box (STB) 210, a cellular/satellite phone 212, or any computersystem and/or communications device utilizing a digital signal processor(DSP) 214. The communications device may also include watches, radios,vehicle electronics, clocks, printers, gateways, and other apparatusesand systems.

The recording application 26 may be utilized regardless of signalingstandard. As those of ordinary skill in the art recognize, somecommunications devices utilize a Global System for Mobile (GSM)standard. Some other communications devices utilize the Time DivisionMultiple Access signaling standard, the Code Division Multiple Accesssignaling standard, the “dual-mode” GSM-ANSI Interoperability Team(GAIT) signaling standard, or a variant of the GSM/CDMA/TDMA signalingstandard. Exemplary embodiments, however, may be applied to anycommunications device utilizing any signaling standard or compressiontechnique. Exemplary embodiments may also be applied to any deviceutilizing any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as theIndustrial, Scientific, and Medical band (e.g., BLUETOOTH®).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recording media. Aninput is received via a user interface to record media (Block 300). Anentry is created in a recording schedule to record the media (Block302). The recording schedule is sent to a restoration server and mirrorto memory (Block 304). If the media is recorded (Block 306), then arecording notification message is sent to the restoration server tonotify the restoration server when the media is recorded (Block 308). Acatalog of recorded items is maintained and sent to the restorationserver (Block 310). A preference is received that indicates what itemsin the catalog shall be restored by the restoration server (Block 312).

FIG. 11 is another flowchart illustrating another method for recordingmedia. A user's recording schedule is received that indicates what mediais scheduled for recording by the user's device (Block 320). Therecording schedule is mirrored to a restoration server such that themedia is also scheduled for recording by the restoration server (Block322). A recording notification message is received that indicates themedia is being recorded by the user's device (Block 324). In response tothe recording notification message, the restoration server records themedia, thus mirroring the media recorded to the user's device (Block326). A catalog of recorded items, that reside on the user's device, isreceived (Block 328). A preference is received that indicates what itemsin the catalog shall be tagged for restoration by the restoration server(Block 330). A package of media is identified that may appeal to theuser (Block 332). The package of media is sent to the user's device topopulate the user's device (Block 334).

The recording application 26 may be physically embodied on or in acomputer-readable medium. This computer-readable medium may includeCD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, andlarge-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and otherlarge-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registeredtrademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067,801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media,could be distributed to end-users, licensees, and assignees. These typesof computer-readable media, and other types not mention here butconsidered within the scope of the embodiments, allow the recordingapplication 26 to be easily disseminated. A computer program product forrecording media comprises the computer-readable medium, and therecording application 26 stores on the computer-readable medium asprocessor-executable code or instructions.

The recording application 26 may also be physically embodied on or inany addressable (e.g., HTTP, IEEE 802.11, Wireless Application Protocol(WAP)) wire line or wireless device capable of presenting an IP address.Examples could include a computer, a wireless personal digital assistant(PDA), an Internet Protocol mobile phone, or a wireless pager.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect tovarious features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilledin the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited.Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplaryembodiments.

1. A method for recording media, comprising: transmitting, by a userdevice, a catalog to a restoration server, the catalog identifyingrecorded media; transmitting, by the user device, a recording scheduleto the restoration server, in which the recording schedule identifiesmedia to be simultaneously recorded by both the user and the restorationserver from a media server; wherein the recording schedule transmittedby the user device is configured to cause the restoration server toschedule the media for recording; transmitting, by the user device, anotification causing the restoration server to simultaneously record themedia from the media server while the user device is recording the mediafrom the media server; wherein the notification is transmitted from theuser device to the restoration server when a recording mode is beinginvoked on the user device; and wherein the notification is configuredto indicate to the restoration server when the media is being recordedon the user device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalogcomprises unavailable media which is only stored on the user device andnot currently available to the restoration server.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the unavailable media comprises media that is notobtainable elsewhere.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the unavailablemedia include home movies, still images, and unique media.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising transmitting a preference that indicateswhat items in the catalog are to be tagged for restoration by therestoration server.
 6. A method for recording media, comprising:transmitting, by a user device, a catalog to a restoration server, thecatalog identifying recorded media; wherein the catalog maintainsrecorded items, the catalog comprising: currently available media, andunavailable media which is stored on the user device and not currentlyavailable; transmitting, by the user device, a recording schedule to therestoration server, in which the recording schedule identifies media tobe simultaneously recorded by both the user and the restoration serverfrom a media server; wherein the recording schedule transmitted by theuser device is configured to cause the restoration server to schedulethe media for recording; transmitting, by the user device, anotification causing the restoration server to simultaneously record themedia from the media server while the user device is recording the mediafrom the media server; wherein the notification is transmitted from theuser device to the restoration server when a recording mode is beinginvoked on the user device; and wherein the notification is configuredto indicate to the restoration server when the media is being recordedon the user device; responsive to the restoration server requesting,from the user device, the unavailable media which is stored on the userdevice and not currently available, transmitting the unavailable mediaby the user device to the restoration server for recording a second copyof the unavailable media by the restoration server.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the unavailable media comprises media that is notobtainable elsewhere and the unavailable media include home movies,still images, and unique media.
 8. The method of claim 6, comprisingtransmitting a preference that indicates what items in the catalog areto be tagged for restoration by the restoration server.
 9. A system,comprising: a user device comprising memory for storing a program; and aprocessor of the user device communicating with a user interface; theprocessor, functionally coupled to the memory, being responsive tocomputer-executable instructions contained in the program and operativefor: transmitting, by the user device, a notification causing therestoration server to simultaneously record media from a media serverwhile the user device is recording the media from the media server,wherein the notification indicates when the media is being recorded onthe user device.
 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising theprocessor transmitting a catalog to the restoration server, the catalogidentifying the media.
 11. The system of claim 9, further comprising theprocessor maintaining a catalog of recorded items, the catalogcomprising: currently available media, and unavailable media which isonly stored on the user device and not currently available.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, further comprising responsive to the restorationserver requesting from the user device the unavailable media which isonly stored on the user device and not currently available, theprocessor transmitting the unavailable media to the restoration serverfor recording a second copy of the unavailable media by the restorationserver.
 13. The system of claim 11, further comprising the processortransmitting a preference that indicates what items in the catalog areto be tagged for restoration by the restoration server.
 14. The systemof claim 11, wherein the processor receives a preference via the userinterface that indicates what items in the catalog shall be tagged forrestoration.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor receivesa package of media suitable for the user from the restoration serverbased on analysis of the recording schedule.